


Lasting impressions: Contact

by Ejunkiet



Series: The Reunion series [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Drama, F/M, Reunion series, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-07
Updated: 2013-01-07
Packaged: 2017-11-24 00:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/627985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ejunkiet/pseuds/Ejunkiet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Turian cynicism isn’t the reason I came up here, though. Sometime during another minor tweak to the efficiency of the main guns, I began remembering a past conversation I had with Mordin, about us. I’ve got something to ask you.” Post Omega relay, continuation of the Reunion Series, post-Impressions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lasting impressions: Contact

### Lasting impressions: contact.

The hushed shuffling outside her door had reached a point beyond irritation, and after having long since given up on the pretense of sleep, it only took a simple gesture for EDI to undo the locking mechanism on the door. Whoever it was clearly couldn't wait for the morning, despite the fact it was - and she confirmed this with a glance at the holo that hovered on her night stand - _three hours too early for this_ , and it'd be best if she just went and faced the music.

Or shot whoever it was that decided that the middle of the night was an appropriate time to come for a visit.

She still hadn't decided either way, when the door to her quarters opened with a neat click, startling the hulking figure outside nearly about as much as his presence outside his door surprised her.

“ _Garrus?_ ”

His mandibles relaxed into a turian smile, flexing against his jaw line before he stepped forward, his form easily filling the stout doorway of her cabin. “Shepard. Chakwas couldn’t find another excuse to keep me, when it was clear that her stitches had held, and the scrapes from the collector base were all superficial. That, and I also think she was trying to protect the locking mechanism of the med bay. I did ‘a nasty number’ on it the last time I broke out, apparently.” His silhouette shifted, moving his weight from one hip to another, and although she couldn’t quite make his expression, she could hear the cocky twist to his words. “Her own phrasing. Personally, I think it was rather ingenious.”

“And you decided the best way to spend your short-lived freedom was to lurk outside my door? I believe we’ve talked about Alliance marines and _sneaking_.”

The dimmed interior of the lift shed enough light that the distinctive cut of angled shoulders and crest was clear, sleek lines that were unmistakable, although it was not clear enough for her to make out any features past the gleam of light from his scope. As her eyes adjusted, it was easier to see the softened lines of his expression and the relaxed set of his mandibles, twitching into another slow, turian smile as his eyes met hers.

"What can I say, I like to live on the edge."

He fell silent after that, his eyes flickering across her features, lingering on the faint traces of still-healing scars, and after a while, the easy atmosphere dissipated. When it had been too long, _too quiet,_ a thread of tension wound through her, effectively chasing away the last vestiges of sleep.

Her skin tingled with the memories of - what must have been - just a few _hours_ ago, the burn of carefully navigated intimacy, warm, impossibly warm against her skin as they sank, whirling her into the eye of a storm of sensation and emotion, that she could barely think-

She took a sharp intake of breath, glancing away as she forced her mind away from the images, and the uncomfortable pounding in her chest. This was - difficult. They hadn’t talked, and it was becoming obvious – and _really,_ she had known before _obvious_ , as it was her job to know everything about her crew – that this _thing_ between them had grown, had the both of them more entangled within it than either of them had realised.

But even in the shuddering, close confines of the back of the shuttle, inches from the face of death – and the minutes from the death of _yet another casualty_ – when there had been only their armor between them, they had said nothing.

Nothing more had needed to be said beyond the touches, the contact between them – _they hadn’t needed to_.

Now, it was only the fact that he hadn’t opened with the issue, instead choosing to hover like a _damned insect_ in her doorway that kept her grip from settling around the Carnifex on her nightstand.

Barely.

The thud of her heartbeat grew to a loud beat in her ears, but he didn’t seem inclined to break the silence, and just as she prepared to ask him _what the problem_ was, he took a step back into better lighting. His mandibles were twitching, rubbing against the line of his jaw in what she was beginning to recognise as barely disguised nerves.

“ _Garrus.” Please._

He seemed to blink, shaking himself out of whatever stupor he had fallen in, and a tentative smile crossed her lips despite herself as he glanced away awkwardly, raising a hand to grip the door frame.  
  
“…I’m sorry I woke you.” His tone was soft, and his words were almost swallowed by the duet of his voice. He sounded _vulnerable_ , a word that she had never associated with him before, and she caught his gaze, levering herself into a proper sitting position. After a moment more of hesitant hovering, she gave a small sigh, levering herself to her feet and extending a hand to him, glancing at it pointedly until he took it.

“It’s too late for that now, Garrus.” When he simply looked at her, hands twisting in a grip in his lap, she touched his cheek, smoothing along the scar tissue that had just barely healed, before she was gripping a mandible, tugging him lightly towards her until she could reach him properly. She formed a small smile, her heart beating in her chest as she raised one finger carefully, eyes on his as they followed the movement, prodding at his chest. ” _Speak_ , soldier. That’s an order.”

He sent her a glance, letting out a small huff of self-deprecating laughter that sent the muted light from the fish tanks glittering against his plates. “Well, I can’t say _no_ to that. I couldn’t sleep. I haven’t been able to, not for a while.”

He broke eye contact as his voice broke off, his hand curling around hers at his cheek. Her fingers wound, and he moved closer, a warm, steady body of heat as he brushed his fingers along hers, gripping them and sliding them into his lap. ”We stopped the Collectors, Shepard, but I can’t help but think about the future. This isn’t over, and something just tells me that what we’ve seen is nothing like what is coming.”

His hands curled around hers, squeezing lightly before he released her and brought his hands up to rest against his cheek, mandibles fluttering as she leaned into the touch, turned her head to press a soft kiss to his palm.

“Turian cynicism isn’t the reason I came up here, though. Sometime during another minor tweak to the efficiency of the main guns, I began remembering a past conversation I had with Mordin, about us. I’ve got something to ask you. Something for us to... try.

"It sounds like I'm going to like this proposition, Vakarian."

His eyes narrowed, focusing on hers for another moment longer before dropping to her mouth, and with slow and deliberate movements, he leaned forward to press a feathery kiss against her lips. His hands skimmed her cheeks until they were tangled within her hair, and she hummed, and meeting his careful entreaty with a kiss of her own - and she moved forward into his arms, her body flush against his, the heat of their breath mingling. Breaking away, he burrowed his head against the crook of her neck, unable to stop the thrumming within his chest as he took in the _feel_ of her, the scent of her - and somehow, in the midst of all this craziness he had ended up exactly where he was meant to be.

Now to take the shot.

“Contact - and touching - seems to play a larger role in human _courting_ … Or romantic liaisons, than it does in turian relationships. I was - well, I was curious, and a bit tired of being alone, and was wondering… if you’d mind company tonight.”

Surprise sent her heart stuttering within her chest, and it must have shown on her expression if the amused gleam in his eye was of any indication. She resisted the urge to punch his arm, choosing instead to move in a little closer and settle her weight against his side as her features relaxed into her first true smile of the night. “Of course I wouldn’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> It has been a long time, since I was writing _avidly_ , so there is a bit of improvement still needed. Keep an eye out for edits, and a sequel..!


End file.
